Baldwinton cattle set for confiscation and slaughter

Cattle farmer Mel McCrea is now dealing with the eventual confiscation of his herd after Canadian Food Inspection officials announced the planned of slaughter more cattle quarantined after the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

McCrea expressed concern Thursday that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was planning to seize and destroy his cattle herd before the results of the DNA test he requested comes back.

The McCrea herd of Black Angus cows have been under quarantine since last Friday and the CFIA suspects a cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) may have been born on the Baldwinton area farm.

McCrea walks among the pens housing his cows and their calves several times a day. This is the time of year when he usually sends them out to pasture.

The waiting is hard on McCrae.

"Do that blood test. Tell us one way or the other. If they got to go, let them go and get out of here as quick as possible," he says.

The problem is DNA tests can take days to complete. So the waiting continues while McCrea feels the looming destruction of his herd.

The CFIA is busy with the necessary paperwork necessary to track the whereabouts of all the animals that have been on this farm since 1997.

It's also tagged and priced McCrea's cattle which fueled the farmer's fears of what he now knows is inevitable.

Louise Greenberg, a senior official with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, assured the CFIA won't act without final results on Thursday.

"What they're doing now is preparatory work in case they have to make that decision they will have all the background work prepared."